Southwest Virginia Blogs

The whole concept of Linux really appeals to me.  Unfortunately I am just not technical enough to get myself out of the problems that I seem to regularly find in Linux.

A few weeks ago I moved my Dell desktop to our coastal home.  The Dell desktop has Suse and Ubuntu Linux on it as well as Windows XP.

Of course I have a different network at the coast and different printers.  As I recently wrote in "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX," I have managed to get my new HP AIO printer working with Mac OS X and Windows XP.  There were a few glitches during installation, but it really wasn't above what I could handle.

Larry, one of the people who commented on the post, mentioned that he had been rescued by Bonjour for Windows.  I downloaded it and installed it on my Windows box.  Amazingly it does see the printers.

I did a search for "Bonjour for Linux."  It did not take long to figure out that Apple has not released a finished Bonjour product for Linux.  Perhaps it will be in the same release as Quicktime for Linux.

The net of all this is that I still can't get my HP AIO to work at all on Linux.  I followed some instructions that got me into the terminal as SUDO where I watched lots of stuff happen, but even that did not fix the problem.

I did manage to get my Brother Laser 5250N Printer working on Ubuntu Linux.  The exact driver wasn't there, but an older one seems to work.

I could probably live without the HP AIO on Linux, but the ultimate insult was when I plugged in my USB photo memory card reader and Linux could not see anything on it.

Here's my take on Linux.  If you want email, web browsing, some office apps, and basic printing, Linux is a good solution for you.

In spite of all the wonderful progress, Linux has a driver problem.  They just aren't there.  Maybe if you are very technical, you can make it work, but I am a pretty technical guy, and I just don't have time for the hassle.

Windows in spite of what many Mac people say works pretty well.  Mac OS X is better, no doubt, but there is some stuff out there which just doesn't work on a Mac.

I love my Macs, and usually with some effort I can get everything to work that hasn't been crippled before it left Apple.  Everything that I have tried on Windows in the last two years has worked.

I have yet to be infected with a virus or spyware.   My Windows hardware has been more reliable than my Macs.

I would love to not have to use Windows, but it just is not in the cards. Long term I believe running Windows on a Dell is cheaper and easier than running it on a Mac so I am going to be a two platform shop for the foreseeable future.

I would be really happy to be a dyed in the wool Linux user, but I just don't have the skills.  Having to screw around with drivers to get my photos imported and to get a simple HP AIO to even print just isn't a productive use of my time.  Linux isn't going to make progress on the desktop until people like me are singing from the roof tops about how great Linux is.

Right now I'm looking forward to seeing what MS and Apple have up their sleeves.  As far as I can tell Linux hasn't made much progress towards the desktop in the last year unless all you want is a very basic computer or one that comes with a Linux support person.  I don't think Apple & Microsoft have been  resting on their laurels.

In spite of all this, I cannot understand why Apple has not released Bonjour for Linux as a finished product.  Why they are afraid of helping Linux is beyond me.

The whole concept of Linux really appeals to me.  Unfortunately I am just not technical enough to get myself out of the problems that I seem to regularly find in Linux.

A few weeks ago I moved my Dell desktop to our coastal home.  The Dell desktop has Suse and Ubuntu Linux on it as well as Windows XP.

Of course I have a different network at the coast and different printers.  As I recently wrote in "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX," I have managed to get my new HP AIO printer working with Mac OS X and Windows XP.  There were a few glitches during installation, but it really wasn't above what I could handle.

Larry, one of the people who commented on the post, mentioned that he had been rescued by Bonjour for Windows.  I downloaded it and installed it on my Windows box.  Amazingly it does see the printers.

I did a search for "Bonjour for Linux."  It did not take long to figure out that Apple has not released a finished Bonjour product for Linux.  Perhaps it will be in the same release as Quicktime for Linux.

The net of all this is that I still can't get my HP AIO to work at all on Linux.  I followed some instructions that got me into the terminal as SUDO where I watched lots of stuff happen, but even that did not fix the problem.

I did manage to get my Brother Laser 5250N Printer working on Ubuntu Linux.  The exact driver wasn't there, but an older one seems to work.

I could probably live without the HP AIO on Linux, but the ultimate insult was when I plugged in my USB photo memory card reader and Linux could not see anything on it.

Here's my take on Linux.  If you want email, web browsing, some office apps, and basic printing, Linux is a good solution for you.

In spite of all the wonderful progress, Linux has a driver problem.  They just aren't there.  Maybe if you are very technical, you can make it work, but I am a pretty technical guy, and I just don't have time for the hassle.

Windows in spite of what many Mac people say works pretty well.  Mac OS X is better, no doubt, but there is some stuff out there which just doesn't work on a Mac.

I love my Macs, and usually with some effort I can get everything to work that hasn't been crippled before it left Apple.  Everything that I have tried on Windows in the last two years has worked.

I have yet to be infected with a virus or spyware.   My Windows hardware has been more reliable than my Macs.

I would love to not have to use Windows, but it just is not in the cards. Long term I believe running Windows on a Dell is cheaper and easier than running it on a Mac so I am going to be a two platform shop for the foreseeable future.

I would be really happy to be a dyed in the wool Linux user, but I just don't have the skills.  Having to screw around with drivers to get my photos imported and to get a simple HP AIO to even print just isn't a productive use of my time.  Linux isn't going to make progress on the desktop until people like me are singing from the roof tops about how great Linux is.

Right now I'm looking forward to seeing what MS and Apple have up their sleeves.  As far as I can tell Linux hasn't made much progress towards the desktop in the last year unless all you want is a very basic computer or one that comes with a Linux support person.  I don't think Apple & Microsoft have been  resting on their laurels.

In spite of all this, I cannot understand why Apple has not released Bonjour for Linux as a finished product.  Why they are afraid of helping Linux is beyond me.

The whole concept of Linux really appeals to me.  Unfortunately I am just not technical enough to get myself out of the problems that I seem to regularly find in Linux.

A few weeks ago I moved my Dell desktop to our coastal home.  The Dell desktop has Suse and Ubuntu Linux on it as well as Windows XP.

Of course I have a different network at the coast and different printers.  As I recently wrote in "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX," I have managed to get my new HP AIO printer working with Mac OS X and Windows XP.  There were a few glitches during installation, but it really wasn't above what I could handle.

Larry, one of the people who commented on the post, mentioned that he had been rescued by Bonjour for Windows.  I downloaded it and installed it on my Windows box.  Amazingly it does see the printers.

I did a search for "Bonjour for Linux."  It did not take long to figure out that Apple has not released a finished Bonjour product for Linux.  Perhaps it will be in the same release as Quicktime for Linux.

The net of all this is that I still can't get my HP AIO to work at all on Linux.  I followed some instructions that got me into the terminal as SUDO where I watched lots of stuff happen, but even that did not fix the problem.

I did manage to get my Brother Laser 5250N Printer working on Ubuntu Linux.  The exact driver wasn't there, but an older one seems to work.

I could probably live without the HP AIO on Linux, but the ultimate insult was when I plugged in my USB photo memory card reader and Linux could not see anything on it.

Here's my take on Linux.  If you want email, web browsing, some office apps, and basic printing, Linux is a good solution for you.

In spite of all the wonderful progress, Linux has a driver problem.  They just aren't there.  Maybe if you are very technical, you can make it work, but I am a pretty technical guy, and I just don't have time for the hassle.

Windows in spite of what many Mac people say works pretty well.  Mac OS X is better, no doubt, but there is some stuff out there which just doesn't work on a Mac.

I love my Macs, and usually with some effort I can get everything to work that hasn't been crippled before it left Apple.  Everything that I have tried on Windows in the last two years has worked.

I have yet to be infected with a virus or spyware.   My Windows hardware has been more reliable than my Macs.

I would love to not have to use Windows, but it just is not in the cards. Long term I believe running Windows on a Dell is cheaper and easier than running it on a Mac so I am going to be a two platform shop for the foreseeable future.

I would be really happy to be a dyed in the wool Linux user, but I just don't have the skills.  Having to screw around with drivers to get my photos imported and to get a simple HP AIO to even print just isn't a productive use of my time.  Linux isn't going to make progress on the desktop until people like me are singing from the roof tops about how great Linux is.

Right now I'm looking forward to seeing what MS and Apple have up their sleeves.  As far as I can tell Linux hasn't made much progress towards the desktop in the last year unless all you want is a very basic computer or one that comes with a Linux support person.  I don't think Apple & Microsoft have been  resting on their laurels.

In spite of all this, I cannot understand why Apple has not released Bonjour for Linux as a finished product.  Why they are afraid of helping Linux is beyond me.

The whole concept of Linux really appeals to me.  Unfortunately I am just not technical enough to get myself out of the problems that I seem to regularly find in Linux.

A few weeks ago I moved my Dell desktop to our coastal home.  The Dell desktop has Suse and Ubuntu Linux on it as well as Windows XP.

Of course I have a different network at the coast and different printers.  As I recently wrote in "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX," I have managed to get my new HP AIO printer working with Mac OS X and Windows XP.  There were a few glitches during installation, but it really wasn't above what I could handle.

Larry, one of the people who commented on the post, mentioned that he had been rescued by Bonjour for Windows.  I downloaded it and installed it on my Windows box.  Amazingly it does see the printers.

I did a search for "Bonjour for Linux."  It did not take long to figure out that Apple has not released a finished Bonjour product for Linux.  Perhaps it will be in the same release as Quicktime for Linux.

The net of all this is that I still can't get my HP AIO to work at all on Linux.  I followed some instructions that got me into the terminal as SUDO where I watched lots of stuff happen, but even that did not fix the problem.

I did manage to get my Brother Laser 5250N Printer working on Ubuntu Linux.  The exact driver wasn't there, but an older one seems to work.

I could probably live without the HP AIO on Linux, but the ultimate insult was when I plugged in my USB photo memory card reader and Linux could not see anything on it.

Here's my take on Linux.  If you want email, web browsing, some office apps, and basic printing, Linux is a good solution for you.

In spite of all the wonderful progress, Linux has a driver problem.  They just aren't there.  Maybe if you are very technical, you can make it work, but I am a pretty technical guy, and I just don't have time for the hassle.

Windows in spite of what many Mac people say works pretty well.  Mac OS X is better, no doubt, but there is some stuff out there which just doesn't work on a Mac.

I love my Macs, and usually with some effort I can get everything to work that hasn't been crippled before it left Apple.  Everything that I have tried on Windows in the last two years has worked.

I have yet to be infected with a virus or spyware.   My Windows hardware has been more reliable than my Macs.

I would love to not have to use Windows, but it just is not in the cards. Long term I believe running Windows on a Dell is cheaper and easier than running it on a Mac so I am going to be a two platform shop for the foreseeable future.

I would be really happy to be a dyed in the wool Linux user, but I just don't have the skills.  Having to screw around with drivers to get my photos imported and to get a simple HP AIO to even print just isn't a productive use of my time.  Linux isn't going to make progress on the desktop until people like me are singing from the roof tops about how great Linux is.

Right now I'm looking forward to seeing what MS and Apple have up their sleeves.  As far as I can tell Linux hasn't made much progress towards the desktop in the last year unless all you want is a very basic computer or one that comes with a Linux support person.  I don't think Apple & Microsoft have been  resting on their laurels.

In spite of all this, I cannot understand why Apple has not released Bonjour for Linux as a finished product.  Why they are afraid of helping Linux is beyond me.

I am beginning to think this is the year of returning to my inner geek. 

First I went to work at Webmail.us where I ended up bringing my own computers, network hub, and even an Internet phone.  Since I was one of only a couple of Mac users, I ended up figuring some of the printing and other technology issues with only a little help.  I actually wrote about that on Applepeels in the post, "Heterogenous Apple nirvana, well almost."  Then we moved the Webmail.us outside sales office to Roanoke, and I ended up setting another office for myself.

Since I do a fair amount of web work, I usually need three machines to survive, a Mac desktop, a Windows box, and a Mac laptop.  When we got a place in the fall on the White Oak River near Cape Carteret, NC, it was obvious that I needed another office.  I decided to leave a Mac at home in Roanoke to drive my big Epson printers, but I felt that I need my dual G5 and my Dell desktop.  My youngest daughter confiscated my Dell laptop for her business classes at UNCC.

I actually enjoy technology when I can make it work.  I'm usually persistent enough to eventually achieve that.  I can move pretty easily from Mac OSX to Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux.  In fact when I want to procrastinate I will often lose myself in technology challenges.  I spent a lot of time in 2004 getting Linux up and running, and experimenting with SUSE and Xandros distributions before settling on Ubuntu as my standard.  When I recently did some upgrades on all three operating systems, I was convinced that Ubuntu was as easy if not easier than Mac OSX.

For my coastal office printers I went with an Ethernet equipped Brother 5250N and a HP AIO Photosmart C6180 which also supported Ethernet.   I installed  a router with firewall and four ports, one of with goes to an Airport Express and another to a small hub.  We are using a cable modem hooked to Time-Warner.  I also have a Vonage Internet phone to go along with our land line.  We are using an AT&T two line wireless phone system which works great.

So far everything seems to be working fine.   The biggest challenge was the  HP AIO which I wrote about in the post, "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX."  Last night I got the fax working.  Unfortunately I first tried to set it up using the Mac.  That turned out not to work.  I used the Dell to get it going.  The Windows Wizard had another setting which seemed to fix things.  I had already confirmed that the printing works, both text, color, and photo.   Still the HP software for the Mac seems very intrusive.

The HP scanning does work.  Other than the feature to scan directly to iPhoto, which I like a lot, I felt like I was missing my good friend VueScan which I have used in Roanoke to drive my Epson scanner since Mac OSX came out.  I tried to see if VueScan would see the HP C6180 scanner on the network but it did not, even with the most recent version.  Tonight I read through the HP manual to make certain there was no reason to not use the USB port on the AIO while the Ethernet port was active.  I could not find any warning so I hooked up my MacBook using the USB cable from my recently deceased Sony camera.  VueScan saw the scanner and I was in business.

The only thing left is to try is to see how well the printers work with Ubuntu.  There is no rush on that.  That might be a good winter project for a lazy Saturday. 

One of the interesting things that I have run into is that it seems every that every hardware manufacturer, including those who do printers, computers, and cameras has its own suite of consumer digital photo tools.   They're all similar, and it gets a little weird with all the choices of how to manage your photos.  Once you throw in Adode, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, you have to wonder if the market can support this many solutions.  Actually my guess is the market will figure it out. The support people might rightfully view this proliferation as scary.  Just imagine a Mac running Parallels Windows software.  You could have Nikon, Sony, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google software all fighting for control of the same photos.

Invariably the client based software doesn't seem to work nearly as well managing photos on the web as the true web based solutions like Flickr and Picasa Web Albums.  That's the case even in the with the iPhoto, iWeb, and dot Mac from Apple who used to be the digital content king.  I wrote about this recently on Applepeels in the post, "My problem with Apple."

I am not  sure why the companies are spending so much money on this segment.  My guess is that there  will be some shakeout, but that's the subject of another post.

Right now I am proud of my new office, and I would recommend all of the products that I am using.  The only exception would be the Parallels Desktop software which turns the MacBook into a Windows box. The problem is probably caused by the measly 1 gig of ram on my MacBook, but I doubt I will figure that out for a while since I have my Dell box running.

I do not have a lot of tolerance for technology gadgets or companies that fail to meet my expectations so expect to see a post or at least a comment if I run into challenges like the IE crash that I had last night after installing Internet Explorer 7.  I did like some of the new feature of IE, but crashing is not a good way to win my confidence.

The office even looks good since I even ran the cables through the desk.  This is the neatest office that I have ever had.  I must be mellowing with age.  Just getting it working used to be the most important task and often the only thing that mattered.   Just do not ask my kids about my old cable tree.

I am beginning to think this is the year of returning to my inner geek. 

First I went to work at Webmail.us where I ended up bringing my own computers, network hub, and even an Internet phone.  Since I was one of only a couple of Mac users, I ended up figuring some of the printing and other technology issues with only a little help.  I actually wrote about that on Applepeels in the post, "Heterogenous Apple nirvana, well almost."  Then we moved the Webmail.us outside sales office to Roanoke, and I ended up setting another office for myself.

Since I do a fair amount of web work, I usually need three machines to survive, a Mac desktop, a Windows box, and a Mac laptop.  When we got a place in the fall on the White Oak River near Cape Carteret, NC, it was obvious that I needed another office.  I decided to leave a Mac at home in Roanoke to drive my big Epson printers, but I felt that I need my dual G5 and my Dell desktop.  My youngest daughter confiscated my Dell laptop for her business classes at UNCC.

I actually enjoy technology when I can make it work.  I'm usually persistent enough to eventually achieve that.  I can move pretty easily from Mac OSX to Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux.  In fact when I want to procrastinate I will often lose myself in technology challenges.  I spent a lot of time in 2004 getting Linux up and running, and experimenting with SUSE and Xandros distributions before settling on Ubuntu as my standard.  When I recently did some upgrades on all three operating systems, I was convinced that Ubuntu was as easy if not easier than Mac OSX.

For my coastal office printers I went with an Ethernet equipped Brother 5250N and a HP AIO Photosmart C6180 which also supported Ethernet.   I installed  a router with firewall and four ports, one of with goes to an Airport Express and another to a small hub.  We are using a cable modem hooked to Time-Warner.  I also have a Vonage Internet phone to go along with our land line.  We are using an AT&T two line wireless phone system which works great.

So far everything seems to be working fine.   The biggest challenge was the  HP AIO which I wrote about in the post, "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX."  Last night I got the fax working.  Unfortunately I first tried to set it up using the Mac.  That turned out not to work.  I used the Dell to get it going.  The Windows Wizard had another setting which seemed to fix things.  I had already confirmed that the printing works, both text, color, and photo.   Still the HP software for the Mac seems very intrusive.

The HP scanning does work.  Other than the feature to scan directly to iPhoto, which I like a lot, I felt like I was missing my good friend VueScan which I have used in Roanoke to drive my Epson scanner since Mac OSX came out.  I tried to see if VueScan would see the HP C6180 scanner on the network but it did not, even with the most recent version.  Tonight I read through the HP manual to make certain there was no reason to not use the USB port on the AIO while the Ethernet port was active.  I could not find any warning so I hooked up my MacBook using the USB cable from my recently deceased Sony camera.  VueScan saw the scanner and I was in business.

The only thing left is to try is to see how well the printers work with Ubuntu.  There is no rush on that.  That might be a good winter project for a lazy Saturday. 

One of the interesting things that I have run into is that it seems every that every hardware manufacturer, including those who do printers, computers, and cameras has its own suite of consumer digital photo tools.   They're all similar, and it gets a little weird with all the choices of how to manage your photos.  Once you throw in Adode, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, you have to wonder if the market can support this many solutions.  Actually my guess is the market will figure it out. The support people might rightfully view this proliferation as scary.  Just imagine a Mac running Parallels Windows software.  You could have Nikon, Sony, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google software all fighting for control of the same photos.

Invariably the client based software doesn't seem to work nearly as well managing photos on the web as the true web based solutions like Flickr and Picasa Web Albums.  That's the case even in the with the iPhoto, iWeb, and dot Mac from Apple who used to be the digital content king.  I wrote about this recently on Applepeels in the post, "My problem with Apple."

I am not  sure why the companies are spending so much money on this segment.  My guess is that there  will be some shakeout, but that's the subject of another post.

Right now I am proud of my new office, and I would recommend all of the products that I am using.  The only exception would be the Parallels Desktop software which turns the MacBook into a Windows box. The problem is probably caused by the measly 1 gig of ram on my MacBook, but I doubt I will figure that out for a while since I have my Dell box running.

I do not have a lot of tolerance for technology gadgets or companies that fail to meet my expectations so expect to see a post or at least a comment if I run into challenges like the IE crash that I had last night after installing Internet Explorer 7.  I did like some of the new feature of IE, but crashing is not a good way to win my confidence.

The office even looks good since I even ran the cables through the desk.  This is the neatest office that I have ever had.  I must be mellowing with age.  Just getting it working used to be the most important task and often the only thing that mattered.   Just do not ask my kids about my old cable tree.

I am beginning to think this is the year of returning to my inner geek. 

First I went to work at Webmail.us where I ended up bringing my own computers, network hub, and even an Internet phone.  Since I was one of only a couple of Mac users, I ended up figuring some of the printing and other technology issues with only a little help.  I actually wrote about that on Applepeels in the post, "Heterogenous Apple nirvana, well almost."  Then we moved the Webmail.us outside sales office to Roanoke, and I ended up setting another office for myself.

Since I do a fair amount of web work, I usually need three machines to survive, a Mac desktop, a Windows box, and a Mac laptop.  When we got a place in the fall on the White Oak River near Cape Carteret, NC, it was obvious that I needed another office.  I decided to leave a Mac at home in Roanoke to drive my big Epson printers, but I felt that I need my dual G5 and my Dell desktop.  My youngest daughter confiscated my Dell laptop for her business classes at UNCC.

I actually enjoy technology when I can make it work.  I'm usually persistent enough to eventually achieve that.  I can move pretty easily from Mac OSX to Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux.  In fact when I want to procrastinate I will often lose myself in technology challenges.  I spent a lot of time in 2004 getting Linux up and running, and experimenting with SUSE and Xandros distributions before settling on Ubuntu as my standard.  When I recently did some upgrades on all three operating systems, I was convinced that Ubuntu was as easy if not easier than Mac OSX.

For my coastal office printers I went with an Ethernet equipped Brother 5250N and a HP AIO Photosmart C6180 which also supported Ethernet.   I installed  a router with firewall and four ports, one of with goes to an Airport Express and another to a small hub.  We are using a cable modem hooked to Time-Warner.  I also have a Vonage Internet phone to go along with our land line.  We are using an AT&T two line wireless phone system which works great.

So far everything seems to be working fine.   The biggest challenge was the  HP AIO which I wrote about in the post, "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX."  Last night I got the fax working.  Unfortunately I first tried to set it up using the Mac.  That turned out not to work.  I used the Dell to get it going.  The Windows Wizard had another setting which seemed to fix things.  I had already confirmed that the printing works, both text, color, and photo.   Still the HP software for the Mac seems very intrusive.

The HP scanning does work.  Other than the feature to scan directly to iPhoto, which I like a lot, I felt like I was missing my good friend VueScan which I have used in Roanoke to drive my Epson scanner since Mac OSX came out.  I tried to see if VueScan would see the HP C6180 scanner on the network but it did not, even with the most recent version.  Tonight I read through the HP manual to make certain there was no reason to not use the USB port on the AIO while the Ethernet port was active.  I could not find any warning so I hooked up my MacBook using the USB cable from my recently deceased Sony camera.  VueScan saw the scanner and I was in business.

The only thing left is to try is to see how well the printers work with Ubuntu.  There is no rush on that.  That might be a good winter project for a lazy Saturday. 

One of the interesting things that I have run into is that it seems every that every hardware manufacturer, including those who do printers, computers, and cameras has its own suite of consumer digital photo tools.   They're all similar, and it gets a little weird with all the choices of how to manage your photos.  Once you throw in Adode, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, you have to wonder if the market can support this many solutions.  Actually my guess is the market will figure it out. The support people might rightfully view this proliferation as scary.  Just imagine a Mac running Parallels Windows software.  You could have Nikon, Sony, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google software all fighting for control of the same photos.

Invariably the client based software doesn't seem to work nearly as well managing photos on the web as the true web based solutions like Flickr and Picasa Web Albums.  That's the case even in the with the iPhoto, iWeb, and dot Mac from Apple who used to be the digital content king.  I wrote about this recently on Applepeels in the post, "My problem with Apple."

I am not  sure why the companies are spending so much money on this segment.  My guess is that there  will be some shakeout, but that's the subject of another post.

Right now I am proud of my new office, and I would recommend all of the products that I am using.  The only exception would be the Parallels Desktop software which turns the MacBook into a Windows box. The problem is probably caused by the measly 1 gig of ram on my MacBook, but I doubt I will figure that out for a while since I have my Dell box running.

I do not have a lot of tolerance for technology gadgets or companies that fail to meet my expectations so expect to see a post or at least a comment if I run into challenges like the IE crash that I had last night after installing Internet Explorer 7.  I did like some of the new feature of IE, but crashing is not a good way to win my confidence.

The office even looks good since I even ran the cables through the desk.  This is the neatest office that I have ever had.  I must be mellowing with age.  Just getting it working used to be the most important task and often the only thing that mattered.   Just do not ask my kids about my old cable tree.

I am beginning to think this is the year of returning to my inner geek. 

First I went to work at Webmail.us where I ended up bringing my own computers, network hub, and even an Internet phone.  Since I was one of only a couple of Mac users, I ended up figuring some of the printing and other technology issues with only a little help.  I actually wrote about that on Applepeels in the post, "Heterogenous Apple nirvana, well almost."  Then we moved the Webmail.us outside sales office to Roanoke, and I ended up setting another office for myself.

Since I do a fair amount of web work, I usually need three machines to survive, a Mac desktop, a Windows box, and a Mac laptop.  When we got a place in the fall on the White Oak River near Cape Carteret, NC, it was obvious that I needed another office.  I decided to leave a Mac at home in Roanoke to drive my big Epson printers, but I felt that I need my dual G5 and my Dell desktop.  My youngest daughter confiscated my Dell laptop for her business classes at UNCC.

I actually enjoy technology when I can make it work.  I'm usually persistent enough to eventually achieve that.  I can move pretty easily from Mac OSX to Windows XP to Ubuntu Linux.  In fact when I want to procrastinate I will often lose myself in technology challenges.  I spent a lot of time in 2004 getting Linux up and running, and experimenting with SUSE and Xandros distributions before settling on Ubuntu as my standard.  When I recently did some upgrades on all three operating systems, I was convinced that Ubuntu was as easy if not easier than Mac OSX.

For my coastal office printers I went with an Ethernet equipped Brother 5250N and a HP AIO Photosmart C6180 which also supported Ethernet.   I installed  a router with firewall and four ports, one of with goes to an Airport Express and another to a small hub.  We are using a cable modem hooked to Time-Warner.  I also have a Vonage Internet phone to go along with our land line.  We are using an AT&T two line wireless phone system which works great.

So far everything seems to be working fine.   The biggest challenge was the  HP AIO which I wrote about in the post, "HP AIO Photosmart C6180 and Mac OSX."  Last night I got the fax working.  Unfortunately I first tried to set it up using the Mac.  That turned out not to work.  I used the Dell to get it going.  The Windows Wizard had another setting which seemed to fix things.  I had already confirmed that the printing works, both text, color, and photo.   Still the HP software for the Mac seems very intrusive.

The HP scanning does work.  Other than the feature to scan directly to iPhoto, which I like a lot, I felt like I was missing my good friend VueScan which I have used in Roanoke to drive my Epson scanner since Mac OSX came out.  I tried to see if VueScan would see the HP C6180 scanner on the network but it did not, even with the most recent version.  Tonight I read through the HP manual to make certain there was no reason to not use the USB port on the AIO while the Ethernet port was active.  I could not find any warning so I hooked up my MacBook using the USB cable from my recently deceased Sony camera.  VueScan saw the scanner and I was in business.

The only thing left is to try is to see how well the printers work with Ubuntu.  There is no rush on that.  That might be a good winter project for a lazy Saturday. 

One of the interesting things that I have run into is that it seems every that every hardware manufacturer, including those who do printers, computers, and cameras has its own suite of consumer digital photo tools.   They're all similar, and it gets a little weird with all the choices of how to manage your photos.  Once you throw in Adode, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, you have to wonder if the market can support this many solutions.  Actually my guess is the market will figure it out. The support people might rightfully view this proliferation as scary.  Just imagine a Mac running Parallels Windows software.  You could have Nikon, Sony, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google software all fighting for control of the same photos.

Invariably the client based software doesn't seem to work nearly as well managing photos on the web as the true web based solutions like Flickr and Picasa Web Albums.  That's the case even in the with the iPhoto, iWeb, and dot Mac from Apple who used to be the digital content king.  I wrote about this recently on Applepeels in the post, "My problem with Apple."

I am not  sure why the companies are spending so much money on this segment.  My guess is that there  will be some shakeout, but that's the subject of another post.

Right now I am proud of my new office, and I would recommend all of the products that I am using.  The only exception would be the Parallels Desktop software which turns the MacBook into a Windows box. The problem is probably caused by the measly 1 gig of ram on my MacBook, but I doubt I will figure that out for a while since I have my Dell box running.

I do not have a lot of tolerance for technology gadgets or companies that fail to meet my expectations so expect to see a post or at least a comment if I run into challenges like the IE crash that I had last night after installing Internet Explorer 7.  I did like some of the new feature of IE, but crashing is not a good way to win my confidence.

The office even looks good since I even ran the cables through the desk.  This is the neatest office that I have ever had.  I must be mellowing with age.  Just getting it working used to be the most important task and often the only thing that mattered.   Just do not ask my kids about my old cable tree.

I recently wrote a post, "Attack of the all in one machines & customer service," about my purchase of a HP C6180 AIO, printer, scanner, copier, and fax.  The past weekend I had a chance to install it and try most of the features.

As is often the case, it turned out not nearly as easy as one might expect.  There were a couple of interesting challenges, one that was HP's fault and one that was likely mine.

The good news, as is often the case in technology, is that I kept working on it until I got everything working.

First off  I actually read the instructions and followed them.  The HP 6180 can be set up wireless on a 802.x network or wired as part of a standard network.  I just to hook it to my newly installed Ethernet network.   

The network has a cable modem hooked to a router with four ports.  One of the ports feeds an Airport Express.  I am running OS X version 10.4.8 on all the Macs.  The first system I attempted to install the software on was my dual G5 which I admit to neglecting by not upgrading it to at one gig of ram.  The first thing I notice is that didn't get very far in the installation before I was presented with was a drop down menu that would only let me select C7100 as the model for my printer.  Obviously that was not a good sign, but I went ahead an installed the software.  Of course when I tried to set up the printer, the HP software couldn't find the printer.  Being the clever Apple guy that I am, I used Bonjour to get the printing working.  Unfortunately when I went to use the scanner, it wouldn't initialize.

At this point I decided to backtract.  I un-installed the software that I had just finished installing and went to HP's website and downloaded the latest software for the 6100 series.  When I started installing I was presented with the correct choice of printer in the pull down menu.  The picture above is a scan of the disk that was in the box.  Unfortunately it appears that the wrong software is on the cd-rom even though the label is right.

Next I tried to install the software on my laptop wirelessly. It never could find the printer so I grabbed an Ethernet connection and the software installed correctly.  I went back to having my laptop on our wireless network and couldn't print.  It took me a while, but I eventually figured out that my Airport Express was distributing IP addresses so I ran Airport Admin and turned off the IP address feature.

So far I really pleased with the quality of the text.  I also have a Brother 5250DN laser on the network for quality printing but I'm not sure I need it.  The text coming out of the HP is much better than indicated in all of the reviews that I read.  Of course it's pretty hard to beat a laser for being really professional.

The photo printer also works well on the HP.  My wife is pleased with that.  Mixed color and text also looks very sharp.  The scanner works well and can scan directly to iPhoto.  I think my dual G5 might get an upgrade to 2 gigs on ram since the HP apps seem to be memory sensitive.  They work well on my MacBook that has 1 gig of ram but not on the dual G5.  I need another connector before I can test the fax, but I have little doubt that it will work.

Technology continues to get better, but there always seems to be a few glitches which require remembering stuff that I would just as soon forget.  My nightmare is one of these days I'll wake up and not be able to do this stuff.

As soon as I can "borrow" my Windows laptop back from my daughter I see how everything works with Windows and Linux.  I did install the Parallels software and Windows XP on my MacBook but I believe it needs to get upgraded to 2 gigs of ram to be really functional, and I need my genuine Windows serial number off the bottom of my Dell laptop to validate the software.

This stuff is never easy.  By the way, I don't see lots of people using the Parallels solution on a regular basis unless they're sophisticated software users.

I recently wrote a post, "Attack of the all in one machines & customer service," about my purchase of a HP C6180 AIO, printer, scanner, copier, and fax.  The past weekend I had a chance to install it and try most of the features.

As is often the case, it turned out not nearly as easy as one might expect.  There were a couple of interesting challenges, one that was HP's fault and one that was likely mine.

The good news, as is often the case in technology, is that I kept working on it until I got everything working.

First off  I actually read the instructions and followed them.  The HP 6180 can be set up wireless on a 802.x network or wired as part of a standard network.  I just to hook it to my newly installed Ethernet network.   

The network has a cable modem hooked to a router with four ports.  One of the ports feeds an Airport Express.  I am running OS X version 10.4.8 on all the Macs.  The first system I attempted to install the software on was my dual G5 which I admit to neglecting by not upgrading it to at one gig of ram.  The first thing I notice is that didn't get very far in the installation before I was presented with was a drop down menu that would only let me select C7100 as the model for my printer.  Obviously that was not a good sign, but I went ahead an installed the software.  Of course when I tried to set up the printer, the HP software couldn't find the printer.  Being the clever Apple guy that I am, I used Bonjour to get the printing working.  Unfortunately when I went to use the scanner, it wouldn't initialize.

At this point I decided to backtract.  I un-installed the software that I had just finished installing and went to HP's website and downloaded the latest software for the 6100 series.  When I started installing I was presented with the correct choice of printer in the pull down menu.  The picture above is a scan of the disk that was in the box.  Unfortunately it appears that the wrong software is on the cd-rom even though the label is right.

Next I tried to install the software on my laptop wirelessly. It never could find the printer so I grabbed an Ethernet connection and the software installed correctly.  I went back to having my laptop on our wireless network and couldn't print.  It took me a while, but I eventually figured out that my Airport Express was distributing IP addresses so I ran Airport Admin and turned off the IP address feature.

So far I really pleased with the quality of the text.  I also have a Brother 5250DN laser on the network for quality printing but I'm not sure I need it.  The text coming out of the HP is much better than indicated in all of the reviews that I read.  Of course it's pretty hard to beat a laser for being really professional.

The photo printer also works well on the HP.  My wife is pleased with that.  Mixed color and text also looks very sharp.  The scanner works well and can scan directly to iPhoto.  I think my dual G5 might get an upgrade to 2 gigs on ram since the HP apps seem to be memory sensitive.  They work well on my MacBook that has 1 gig of ram but not on the dual G5.  I need another connector before I can test the fax, but I have little doubt that it will work.

Technology continues to get better, but there always seems to be a few glitches which require remembering stuff that I would just as soon forget.  My nightmare is one of these days I'll wake up and not be able to do this stuff.

As soon as I can "borrow" my Windows laptop back from my daughter I see how everything works with Windows and Linux.  I did install the Parallels software and Windows XP on my MacBook but I believe it needs to get upgraded to 2 gigs of ram to be really functional, and I need my genuine Windows serial number off the bottom of my Dell laptop to validate the software.

This stuff is never easy.  By the way, I don't see lots of people using the Parallels solution on a regular basis unless they're sophisticated software users.

I recently wrote a post, "Attack of the all in one machines & customer service," about my purchase of a HP C6180 AIO, printer, scanner, copier, and fax.  The past weekend I had a chance to install it and try most of the features.

As is often the case, it turned out not nearly as easy as one might expect.  There were a couple of interesting challenges, one that was HP's fault and one that was likely mine.

The good news, as is often the case in technology, is that I kept working on it until I got everything working.

First off  I actually read the instructions and followed them.  The HP 6180 can be set up wireless on a 802.x network or wired as part of a standard network.  I just to hook it to my newly installed Ethernet network.   

The network has a cable modem hooked to a router with four ports.  One of the ports feeds an Airport Express.  I am running OS X version 10.4.8 on all the Macs.  The first system I attempted to install the software on was my dual G5 which I admit to neglecting by not upgrading it to at one gig of ram.  The first thing I notice is that didn't get very far in the installation before I was presented with was a drop down menu that would only let me select C7100 as the model for my printer.  Obviously that was not a good sign, but I went ahead an installed the software.  Of course when I tried to set up the printer, the HP software couldn't find the printer.  Being the clever Apple guy that I am, I used Bonjour to get the printing working.  Unfortunately when I went to use the scanner, it wouldn't initialize.

At this point I decided to backtract.  I un-installed the software that I had just finished installing and went to HP's website and downloaded the latest software for the 6100 series.  When I started installing I was presented with the correct choice of printer in the pull down menu.  The picture above is a scan of the disk that was in the box.  Unfortunately it appears that the wrong software is on the cd-rom even though the label is right.

Next I tried to install the software on my laptop wirelessly. It never could find the printer so I grabbed an Ethernet connection and the software installed correctly.  I went back to having my laptop on our wireless network and couldn't print.  It took me a while, but I eventually figured out that my Airport Express was distributing IP addresses so I ran Airport Admin and turned off the IP address feature.

So far I really pleased with the quality of the text.  I also have a Brother 5250DN laser on the network for quality printing but I'm not sure I need it.  The text coming out of the HP is much better than indicated in all of the reviews that I read.  Of course it's pretty hard to beat a laser for being really professional.

The photo printer also works well on the HP.  My wife is pleased with that.  Mixed color and text also looks very sharp.  The scanner works well and can scan directly to iPhoto.  I think my dual G5 might get an upgrade to 2 gigs on ram since the HP apps seem to be memory sensitive.  They work well on my MacBook that has 1 gig of ram but not on the dual G5.  I need another connector before I can test the fax, but I have little doubt that it will work.

Technology continues to get better, but there always seems to be a few glitches which require remembering stuff that I would just as soon forget.  My nightmare is one of these days I'll wake up and not be able to do this stuff.

As soon as I can "borrow" my Windows laptop back from my daughter I see how everything works with Windows and Linux.  I did install the Parallels software and Windows XP on my MacBook but I believe it needs to get upgraded to 2 gigs of ram to be really functional, and I need my genuine Windows serial number off the bottom of my Dell laptop to validate the software.

This stuff is never easy.  By the way, I don't see lots of people using the Parallels solution on a regular basis unless they're sophisticated software users.

In case you haven't been near a computer department at one of the big box stores, prepare yourself for the holiday push.  My guess is that it is "AIOs" or what is actually a printer, scanner, copier, and fax device all in one piece of equipment.

Over the last couple of months I've been trying to set up a small home office in our coastal location.  With an office view that you'll see if you click the link, there is also the challenge of not nearly the amount of space that I have in my Roanoke office where I have a real copier, a real scanner, and multiple printers in a huge basement office with a view that often leads to the photos that I post on my photography site.  Since we had to redo my basement office, "The Saturday afternoon technologist, electronic hair," due to flooding, it seems like I have been setting up home or business offices all year.  That even got me to do a post, "The Instant Economy,"  on how easy things are today when it comes to going into business.

Yet not all of this happens without challenges as any technology user will tell you.  Being mostly a Mac OS X user with occasional forays into Linux and some necessary trips to Windows, I've been suspicious of most AIOs which have traditionally not worked well with Macs.

Part of my suspicions have come from seeing some rather full open box shelves at local electronic stores in Roanoke.  I generally find that open box shelves are a good predictor of what people are having trouble getting to work.

My own self demo experimentations on some of the all in one products confirmed that they aren't the most intuitive products.  Yet they are very compelling and almost a necessity to people like me who are trying to cram a lot into a small space.

I'm pretty picky about technology or a wouldn't be a Mac user.  I'm also methodical and not afraid to ask advice and do lots of Internet research.  Researching AIOs on the Internet turned out to be very frustrating with no real consensus opinions unless I went to a site that was trying to sell me something.

Going to the local stores in Roanoke was no better and almost convinced me that customer service is dead and that people under twenty five aren't nearly as technologically astute as some of the media would have us believe.  Perhaps their technical expertise doesn't go beyond iPods. The experience visitng the big box stores certainly made me wonder how the Roanoke area could be classed as a "Technology Corridor."

We could find no one in two local Staples, the Circuit City or Best Buy, who could actually make one of the AIOs work properly.  One young Staples sales person finally admitted that he hated AIOs because something was always broken.  We also had the misfortune in that store of running into a hostile young clerk when we actually purchased some other office items.  She wasn't very subtle about the irritation I caused by questioning the pricing she gave me on some folders which came from bins clearly marked with other pricing.  She was still snarky even after another staffer went back to check the pricing and confirmed what I said.  Obviously this wasn't a very auspicious beginning to our hunt for just the right piece of equipment.

Thinking that being armed with more information would help, I consulted with a couple of my trusted technology advisors and got mixed advice.  Andy of DesignNine first gave me a Xerox recommendation and then when he learned of my budget and space problems suggested a Canon.  I read some good reviews of the Pixma which is by Canon, but there were also some bad reviews.  My friend Russ, one of the great technologists in Happy Valley up at Penn. State, told me he had enjoyed some good experiences with HP products.

Armed with that information, I headed up to the local Staples in Morehead City, NC.  It was there that I actually had my faith in sales people renewed.  We had been in the store only moments when a Staples staffer probably in her early thirties approached us.  We told her what we were looking for and that we wanted to see the products actually work.  She immediately set off to get what she needed to make that happen.  She got the first test, a simple copy done quickly. 

That was actually more than anyone else had been able to accomplish.  I asked about why the next model up was $100 more, and she came up with a reasonable answer, Bluetooth.  I next challenged her with actually showing us a photo print.  She told me that if I had a memory card with an image, she would be glad to oblige. I went out to the car and got my digital camera, and she quickly got the HP6180C working on the task.  We got a photo printed on regular ink jet paper about a minute later.  I then suggested that I would like to see the machine actually produce a 4X6 print as advertised on photo paper. Another quick trip and she came back with some properly sized photo paper.  About a minute and a half later, we were looking at the print.

They had no Canon products in stock, but as you'll find out if you start looking, the Cannons don't have fax capabilities and also don't come with built-in networking, so they aren't a complete solution by any means.

I'll be reporting on how the HP does with my Macs, Windows, and Linux machines. I would be glad to review a Canon if they want to send me one for a comparison.  The traditional web can't seem to keep up with the slew of new products.  Most of the reviews I saw were from 2005 and on machines that are no longer on the market.

However, the real story today is that having knowledgeable customer sales people sells products and results in happy customers.  I congratulate Staples on having at least one very knowledgeable customer helper in their Morehead, NC store.  It was a real pleasure talking to someone who actually understood the technology and could demonstrate it.  That's something which is getting a little rare these days as big box stores dig deeper and deeper to find warm bodies.

I wonder if they'll ever figure out that having people like the lady in the Morehead City store is a better way of doing it than making their open box shelves larger?

In case you haven't been near a computer department at one of the big box stores, prepare yourself for the holiday push.  My guess is that it is "AIOs" or what is actually a printer, scanner, copier, and fax device all in one piece of equipment.

Over the last couple of months I've been trying to set up a small home office in our coastal location.  With an office view that you'll see if you click the link, there is also the challenge of not nearly the amount of space that I have in my Roanoke office where I have a real copier, a real scanner, and multiple printers in a huge basement office with a view that often leads to the photos that I post on my photography site.  Since we had to redo my basement office, "The Saturday afternoon technologist, electronic hair," due to flooding, it seems like I have been setting up home or business offices all year.  That even got me to do a post, "The Instant Economy,"  on how easy things are today when it comes to going into business.

Yet not all of this happens without challenges as any technology user will tell you.  Being mostly a Mac OS X user with occasional forays into Linux and some necessary trips to Windows, I've been suspicious of most AIOs which have traditionally not worked well with Macs.

Part of my suspicions have come from seeing some rather full open box shelves at local electronic stores in Roanoke.  I generally find that open box shelves are a good predictor of what people are having trouble getting to work.

My own self demo experimentations on some of the all in one products confirmed that they aren't the most intuitive products.  Yet they are very compelling and almost a necessity to people like me who are trying to cram a lot into a small space.

I'm pretty picky about technology or a wouldn't be a Mac user.  I'm also methodical and not afraid to ask advice and do lots of Internet research.  Researching AIOs on the Internet turned out to be very frustrating with no real consensus opinions unless I went to a site that was trying to sell me something.

Going to the local stores in Roanoke was no better and almost convinced me that customer service is dead and that people under twenty five aren't nearly as technologically astute as some of the media would have us believe.  Perhaps their technical expertise doesn't go beyond iPods. The experience visitng the big box stores certainly made me wonder how the Roanoke area could be classed as a "Technology Corridor."

We could find no one in two local Staples, the Circuit City or Best Buy, who could actually make one of the AIOs work properly.  One young Staples sales person finally admitted that he hated AIOs because something was always broken.  We also had the misfortune in that store of running into a hostile young clerk when we actually purchased some other office items.  She wasn't very subtle about the irritation I caused by questioning the pricing she gave me on some folders which came from bins clearly marked with other pricing.  She was still snarky even after another staffer went back to check the pricing and confirmed what I said.  Obviously this wasn't a very auspicious beginning to our hunt for just the right piece of equipment.

Thinking that being armed with more information would help, I consulted with a couple of my trusted technology advisors and got mixed advice.  Andy of DesignNine first gave me a Xerox recommendation and then when he learned of my budget and space problems suggested a Canon.  I read some good reviews of the Pixma which is by Canon, but there were also some bad reviews.  My friend Russ, one of the great technologists in Happy Valley up at Penn. State, told me he had enjoyed some good experiences with HP products.

Armed with that information, I headed up to the local Staples in Morehead City, NC.  It was there that I actually had my faith in sales people renewed.  We had been in the store only moments when a Staples staffer probably in her early thirties approached us.  We told her what we were looking for and that we wanted to see the products actually work.  She immediately set off to get what she needed to make that happen.  She got the first test, a simple copy done quickly. 

That was actually more than anyone else had been able to accomplish.  I asked about why the next model up was $100 more, and she came up with a reasonable answer, Bluetooth.  I next challenged her with actually showing us a photo print.  She told me that if I had a memory card with an image, she would be glad to oblige. I went out to the car and got my digital camera, and she quickly got the HP6180C working on the task.  We got a photo printed on regular ink jet paper about a minute later.  I then suggested that I would like to see the machine actually produce a 4X6 print as advertised on photo paper. Another quick trip and she came back with some properly sized photo paper.  About a minute and a half later, we were looking at the print.

They had no Canon products in stock, but as you'll find out if you start looking, the Cannons don't have fax capabilities and also don't come with built-in networking, so they aren't a complete solution by any means.

I'll be reporting on how the HP does with my Macs, Windows, and Linux machines. I would be glad to review a Canon if they want to send me one for a comparison.  The traditional web can't seem to keep up with the slew of new products.  Most of the reviews I saw were from 2005 and on machines that are no longer on the market.

However, the real story today is that having knowledgeable customer sales people sells products and results in happy customers.  I congratulate Staples on having at least one very knowledgeable customer helper in their Morehead, NC store.  It was a real pleasure talking to someone who actually understood the technology and could demonstrate it.  That's something which is getting a little rare these days as big box stores dig deeper and deeper to find warm bodies.

I wonder if they'll ever figure out that having people like the lady in the Morehead City store is a better way of doing it than making their open box shelves larger?